Party for the Planet

Celebrate the Earth Day Weekend with us at the Brookfield Zoo's Party for the Planet!

"Every day is Earth Day at Brookfield Zoo, but on this very special day we will be showcasing some of the steps you can commit to that will truly make a difference for animals across the globe! Visit the Eco Expo featuring Earth friendly vendors, drop off recycling, enjoy live entertainment, plant a tree, and enjoy green activities and crafts. We will have special Zoo Chats on giraffe’s (the featured animal for this year’s Party for the Planet and Zoo Run Run). Party for the Planet will be filled with educational, engaging, and fun activities for the entire family."

C2ST will have a "Ask a Scientist" booth set up at Party for the Planet where you can talk to Chicago scientists about the Earth, energy research, sustainability and environmental science.

Meet our scientists!

Sarah Connelly has worked in the wind industry for almost a year at Invenergy, a renewable energy developer, owner, and operator. She has her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and her Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. She is relatively new to renewable energy, but has learned a lot in the past year about how wind turbines operate, how wind farms are developed, and the types of issues facing wind energy today. At Invenergy, she works in the Operations Engineering Team, supporting existing projects and the issues they face. It’s an exciting career since many of the problems they encounter have never been dealt with before. She is passionate about educating students and the community about wind energy, sustainability, and STEM careers!

Burrell Poe is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Center for Neighborhood Technology.

Christine Will has studied cancer biology for 16 years and most recently incorporated fertility and oncofertility research in her repertoire. She has a Bachelors degree in Biology from Elmhurst College and a Masters in Cell and Molecular Biology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. She performs her research at Northwestern University under the guidance of Teresa Woodruff, PhD who coined the term oncofertility and is internationally recognized for her academic research and educational outreach. Christine’s interests lie in cancer biology and therapeutics with an emphasis in epigenetics, ovarian follicle communication, and the adverse affects of environment and chemotherapies on fertility. She is a member of the Center for Reproductive Research and the Women’s Health Research Institute and is a volunteer for C2ST.

Emily Zvolanek is a Senior Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst in the Environmental Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. She earned her B.A. in Environmental Science from Monmouth College and her M.S. in GIS from the University of Washington. Her areas of expertise include cartography, Python programming for GIS, and the application of geospatial methods to environmental, cultural, visual, and socioeconomic analyses, particularly those relating to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Aside from her technical work, she also serves on Argonne’s Women in Science and Technology Steering Committee and Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council and is highly involved with outreach activities that encourage young women to explore STEM fields.